- - SOLDIER - -
by TheAviatorDragon
Summary: Equestria is in turmoil. The Mane Six have been defeated and killed, all except two. Now Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie must find out a way to revive the elements, whilst fighting all of they're old enemies...in a broken land. Will they succeed? Or will they be lost forever... (T for blood)
1. Prologue

{ PROLOGUE }

**A pony in** a purple and dark purple costume stared at a newspaper, one disguised hoof on the front page to keep it from flying away in the breeze. Magenta eyes scanned the paper behind the mask; emotion unreadable.

**MANE SIX DEFEATED**  
_The mane six; made up of Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash have been disbanded. Four are dead, two missing, presumed dead. "They were a hazard," says Sombra, king of the Crystal Empire, "They were planning to use their power to overthrow me and King [NAME REDACTED]. It had to be done." The king assures us that the remaining two, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, will be found and killed. If you see these ponies make sure to contact the nearest law enforcer and claim your reward. _

The disguised pony let out an awkward-sounding grunt through her mask that could have been a sob, and took a step back, allowing the newspaper to be taken by the breeze. She flared open wings that seemed to appear out of nowhere and proceeded to flap them, taking off into the night sky; dark purple cape fanning out behind her.

* * *

**A pink pony** with a curly mane walked through the forest, expression dark. She looked like she wasn't normally this serious. She had tear-stained cheeks and her coat was ragged and clumped; she limped slightly. She looked like she was near death. White saddle bags hung limply at her sides, and with a sudden motion she collapsed onto the forest floor. With stiff movements she opened her right saddle bag and pulled out a picture. Upon this picture were six ponies, one was the pink pony herself. Along with her was a light brown pony, a purple unicorn, a yellow pegasus, a white unicorn, and a cyan pegasus. They all looked happy and friendly, and they were clearly all friends.  
With a single hoof the pony tapped the cyan pony's picture and murmured,  
"I will find you." With that she put the picture back into her saddle bags and stood, painfully resuming her limp through the forest.


	2. Chapter 1 - Quillton

{ CHAPTER 1 }

** Rainbow Dash trotted** through the streets of the once-joyful Canterlot. Although she was wearing the mysterious Mare Do Well's costume, no one gave her a second glance. They didn't seem to care.  
The cyan pony stopped at a fork in the paved road and gritted her teeth, _He HAS to be around here someplace!_ The 'he' Rainbow Dash was referring to was an old advisor of Princess Celestia's. There were rumors...rumors that he was still loyal to the old Equestria.  
With a nervous gulp Rainbow Dash looked both ways, then decided to go right. She had no idea if this was the right way or not.  
Rainbow Dash came to some dark alley on the outskirts of the town, where this mysterious stallion was said to live.  
"Hello?" She said aloud, "Is...is anyone here?"  
A dark shadow ran behind her. She spun around quickly.  
"Who's there?" The mare hissed, crouching defensively. A brown shape formed behind her and raised a hoof…and tapped Rainbow Dash tentatively, shying away when she turned to face him. Her dark cape swished around with her movement, and ended up covering her face. She her head to get it off, then resumed her defensive stance.  
"Who are YOU?" The stallion snorted, jabbing an accusing foreleg at her.  
"Are still with Celestia?" Rainbow Dash growled back at him, ignoring the question. The stallion seemed to relax a bit, but his reply was tense.  
"Are you?" Rainbow Dash stood up straight and flared out her wings.  
"Yes. I am." Her reply was tinged with sadness and an element of fear.  
"Then I am as well. I could never betray my princess. Not for anypony." The stallion's ears drooped sadly. "Come with me." The brown pony turned and started to walk away.  
Rainbow Dash considered her options. She could go with this guy and risk a trap, or she could leave. _I have nothing left to lose._ Rainbow Dash realized, and so she surged forward to catch up with the mysterious pony.

The two ponies came to a small stone house just outside of Canterlot. The brown stallion pushed open the door and walked inside, motioning for Rainbow Dash to do the same. The house was small, with only one room. A bed stood in the corner and a fireplace with smoldering coals in it was the only light. In front of the fireplace was a table with two chairs.  
"Sit down." The stallion neighed, pulling out a chair and sitting in it himself.  
"I'd rather not." Rainbow Dash replied. She never let her guard down. Not anymore.  
"Now I'd like to know who I'm talking to." The pony raised an eyebrow, expecting an answer.  
"After you." Rainbow Dash crossed her hooves and peered at him through her black mask. The pony scowled, but then seemed to realise it was hopeless.  
"Fair enough. My name is Quillton." The light from the coals illuminated his Cutie Mark, which was a red quill. With an unsure gaze over her magenta eyes, Rainbow Dash slowly took off her purple hat, and the her darker purple mask. She had no idea if this was a mistake or not, but she didn't have much more to lose.  
She had though Quillton would be surprised, flabbergasted even, that Rainbow Dash, one of th only living members of the Mane Six, was in his house. But the stallion didn't look surprised in the least.  
"Rainbow Dash. Loyalty. I should have known it was you." He sniffed. Rainbow Dash looked at her cloaked hooves when he said 'loyalty'.  
"Yes. I was...I am supposed to be, aren't I? But I'm not. When we were cornered by Discord and Sombra, when we were about to die...I ran. I was supposed to be loyal...I abandoned friends to die. I should have stayed with them! I should have-"  
"Died with them? Abandoned Equestria? You are the last hope for us. You and Pinkie Pie." Quillton interrupted her, "Your loyalty to your friends is admirable, but your loyalty to the world you live in is something else. Think about it. They would want you to be here." Rainbow Dash simply shrugged, not daring to look Quillton in the eye. The resulting lapse in the conversation was awkward, and it ended up with both ponies strain into the dying fire. After what seemed like an eternity, Rainbow Dash spoke,  
"What I need to know is...how do I revive the elements?" Quillton stared at her with seriousness, sky-blue eyes locking with magenta. He stood and turned away from the cyan pegasus with a small sigh.  
"I'm not sure it's possible. The elements are only activated by a very strong magic that is friendship. It takes at least six ponies...united by that bond...to control them. What you and your friends shared...well that was a rare thing, a one-in-a-million shot. Of course, princesses can activate the elements as well, but so far only Princess Celestia has managed that." Quillton turned his head to look at the red-orange embers still burning in the fireplace. "I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash, that I couldn't do more for you. But I'm afraid the elements died with your friends."  
Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth at his last remark. "No...there HAS to be a way! I can't just let my country fall without even attempting to save it! Surely me and Pinkie still being alive has to count for something! Please...if there is any other way..." She stomped her cyan hoof in frustration, a scowl deepening in her features.  
"But there-" Quillton was interrupted by a crash as the door to the small cottage was broken down. Two guards, a brown pegasus and a white unicorn, dressed in armor entered the cottage.  
In between them was the shadow-infested Nightmare Moon, whom the Mane Six had supposedly vanquished long ago.  
"Halt!" Nightmare Moon hissed, stalking towards Rainbow Dash, who looked surprised but not scared in the least, "Well, well...I see we have finally captured you, Rainbow Dash."


	3. Chapter 2 - Discovered

{ CHAPTER 2 } 

**Quillton backed up** in fear, but Rainbow Dash stood her ground, fearlessly standing before Nightmare Moon with clenched teeth.  
"I'm _not _afraid of you!" She growled, getting down into and offensive stance. Nightmare Moon looked a bit taken aback, but her look of shock was quickly replaced by a smug smirk. She continued to stalk towards Rainbow Dash, flanked by her two guards.  
Then Rainbow Dash did something only she would do. With a quick motion she spun and bucked the shadowy Nightmare Moon in the chest.  
The move was so unexpected it launched the shadowy princess back, sending her careening into her guards. With a mighty shove, Rainbow Dash pushed Quillton towards the door and proceeded to follow him out while the guards and Nightmare Moon were still incapacitated.  
"Come on!" She hissed at the anxious brown pony, and with robotic movements he began to move. Instead of taking off like she could have, Rainbow Dash stood by the earth pony and ran alongside him, keeping pace with him.  
She risked a nervous glance behind her, only to see Nightmare Moon and the two guards right on her tail. With and extra burst of speed, Quillton and Rainbow Dash continued to run.  
Suddenly Nightmare Moon appeared directly in front of the two ponies, barring their way. Rainbow Dash planted her forehooves down in the dirt, dragging her hindlegs to help her stop. Quillton did the same. They managed to stop right in front of the princess.  
"Nice try, Rainbow Dash, but you won't get away that easily." Nightmare Moon chuckled as she leaned down to face the cyan pegasus.  
And then the guards came, jumping on top of her. With mighty kicks Rainbow Dash did her best to buck them off, but after a few moments she realized it was futile and the two guards seized a hold of her forelegs. Quillton just cowered in fear during all this.  
"You'll _never_ get away with this!" Rainbow Dash screeched up at Nightmare Moon.  
"Such a cliche line, my dear pegasus. But you'll find that you have...choices." the princess of shadows circled Rainbow Dash with a smug grin plastered on her face, and in that moment Rainbow Dash would have given anything to kick the mare.  
"But you do have...choices. You can join us, the empire of Equestria, or you can undergo a series of tests...tests that get increasingly harder as you go through them...ultimately leading to your death. Your choice." Nightmare Moon stood tall in front of Rainbow Dash, mane waving in the cool night breeze. Rainbow Dash looked around nervously, she noticed that Quillton had been seized by two more pegasus guards, and was now suspended in the air.  
_What should I do? Death or loyalty...loyalty to this place. Loyalty...heh...guess now I must betray my very element._ she took a deep breath and looked down. When she looked up again a fierce glint was in her eye.  
"I'll take my chances with those _tests_ as you call them." Nightmare Moon didn't look pleased. In fact she looked downright furious.  
"Very well, _Rainbow Dash_." She spat out the pegasus' name with malevolence. "Boys, knock 'em out." Rainbow felt a sharp pain in the back of her skull and everything went black.

°°°

**When Rainbow Dash** awoke, she found herself being pulled in a barred cage. The two guards from earlier were pulling it. Her world was fuzzy, and she brought a hoof to the back of her head she was struck, and when she pulled it back to the front of her face she found it covered in blood. She was surprised to find that her Mare Do Well costume had been taken off.  
Quillton was lying next to her, and for a horrible moment Rainbow Dash though the earth pony was dead, but the faint rise and fall of his flank told her otherwise.  
Rainbow Dash then realized the only thing she could do was wait until they arrived at their destination; wherever it may be.

After a few minutes, the pegasus spotted a huge castle in the distance; the castle where Celestia used to rule. A wave of sadness rushed over her, and she forced herself not to cry.  
_I must be strong. For my friends...for my country...And for...and for myself._ Rainbow Dash stood up, determined, and stood there and waited as the castle on the hill grew ever closer.


	4. Chapter 3 - All Alone

{ CHAPTER 3 } 

** When Rainbow Dash **arrived at the castle, she was on her hooves with a determined glint in her eye. There to greet her, wearing an odd plaid suit, was the chaos God, Discord.  
"Well, well, if it isn't Rainbow Dash." The beast tutted as if he was disappointed, examining the talons on his hand. With a snap of the fingers he appeared in the cage, a very small version of himself. He danced between Rainbow Dash's hooves. The cyan pegasus struck a hoof at him with lightning speed, but she just ended up loudly stomping her hoof against the cold floor of her cage.  
"Discord." She hissed through clenched teeth. "You turned your only friend into stone." Discord mocked hurt and waved a claw at the pony;  
"Not so, Rainbow Dash dear. Sombra was the one who k-" for the first time, Rainbow Dash saw true hurt lurking behind Discord's gaze and the volume level of his voice decreased slightly, "killed Fluttershy. But I guess you were too busy flying away to see that." The creature of chaos smirked at Rainbow Dash, knowing he had struck a chord. For a moment the pegasus was flabbergasted and hurt, not quite sure how to reply, but with a determined stomp she retrained her eyes on Discord.  
"I didn't flee. I escaped. I escaped on the shred of hope that maybe Equestria had a _chance._ How did this even start? How in the hell could have all of our enemies suddenly just...respawn? How could all of our hard work be reduced to shreds in mere days...?" Rainbow Dash didn't seem to care that she was ranting all of this to an aforementioned enemy, she just let all the questions bottled up inside of he flow free.  
Discord didn't reply, just raised an eyebrow. Finally he said;  
"So you refuse to join us...eh?"  
"I refuse." Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth in reply.  
"Hmm. Maybe you'll change your mind...after the execution of course." And with a snap of the fingers, the chaos Lord was gone. A sudden and loud creaking noise was heard behind Rainbow Dash, and she turned on instinct to find a guard escorting a very confused Quillton out of the cage.  
"Wait...where are you taking him!" The pegasus asserted, the guard looked at her with an eerie blank face and replied in an equally dull tone.  
"To the guillotine."  
"What? That's...that's just..."  
"Barbaric? Horrific? Uncool? I've heard 'em all kid." With that the guard slammed the iron doors shut and began to slowly clop away, shoving a very dazed Quillton in front of him. It was then that her prison began to again move.

Rainbow Dash just sat there, mouth hanging open. It was rather unsightly, but she didn't know what else to do. The Guillotine hadn't been used in centuries...it was simply barbaric. Uncalled for. Now Quillton was going to...  
The cyan pegasus couldn't bring herself to finish the thought. Her cage halted abruptly, and Rainbow Dash found herself staring at a large wood structure, a sickening silver blade glistening at the top. Despite years of being locked away in some royal basement, the blade looked sharp. Quillton was brought to stand before it.  
The earth pony looked terrified; sky blue eyes shrunken in fear. Then he spotted Rainbow Dash, and appeared to relax slightly. He mouthed something at her, but the pony simply tilted her head in confusion. He mouthed the phrase again, more slowly this time, and the message was clear.  
One word; live.  
A guard shoved Quillton's head into the hole in the wood, and another guard gripped a rope in his teeth. The sharp, sloped blade cluttered eerily, as if it was laughing. Magenta eyes met blue for a moment, and it finally settled in Rainbow's mind that Quillton was about to die, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.  
In some cheesy action movie, Rainbow Dash would turn around and kick down the bars. In some action movie she would knock out the guards and save Quillton. In a movie she would save the day, and everything would be alright. But this wasn't a movie. This was real.  
The guard pulled the string.  
One little flick of the head. One bone-chilling screech. One sickening slice. Rainbow Dash couldn't bring herself to watch, so she turned away. But she could still hear. The screech, cut off by a sickening slice. The scent of blood reached the pegasus' nostrils and with a shaky sob she collapsed to the floor of her prison, shuddering uncontrollably. What kind of friend was she? She couldn't be there. She fled. Discord was right...she ran away...She should have died! She should have died for her friends!  
Instead here she was, in a cage, all alone.  
In a cage, all alone.

{{{HEY DOODS :D Thanks for reading my story! This chapter didn't have much going on in it, but it was necessary for plot development. And by the way, now is the time for OC submissions! Just type up a brief description of your OC, their cutie Mark, and a few adjectives to describe their character. Nothing too specific. As I am typing this on another website, I just now realized that for some reason or other FF is screwing up my format, so I will be changing out the layout to fix that. Anyway, I hope you enjoy my story, if you do please follow and/or favorite it, and I always read my reviews. Take care, and keep reading!}}}


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